Buzz Aldrin - No Dream Is Too High

Ashly and I thought the routine went well, but the judges didn’t agree. The cranky, “older” judge, Len Goodman, began his critique of our routine by complimenting me. “I remember sitting at home in England watching you walking on the Moon and being amazed,” Len said, “not only at the technology, but the braveness of you guys for going up there for the first time.”

“Very lucky guys,” I agreed.

Then Len, a longtime professional ballroom dancer, declared his opinion of my dancing ability. “I want to commend you for your bravery coming out tonight. Unfortunately, I cannot give marks for bravery, just the dancing, and that wasn’t too good.”

The studio audience of more than 700 people howled in disapproval.

The quick-witted Tom Bergeron, the show’s host, jumped in and asked Len, “And how is that British space program going?” Len just shook his head and laughed.

Bruno Tonioli began by asking, “How can I criticize a hero and a legend?” But of course he did. “It’s my job,” he said.

Bruno told me, “You did a cha-cha-cha … but it looked like you had your Moon boots on.” Then, apparently trying to find something positive, Bruno said, “Let’s say it is going to get better next week.”

The third judge, Carrie Ann Inaba, picked up on one of my main reasons for doing the show in the first place. “You know, what is great about this show is that it inspires people at home to get out and do things they might be afraid of.”

“That’s right,” I agreed.

“You sure inspired a ton of people tonight,” Carrie Ann complimented me. I appreciated the judges’ kind words, but they still awarded Ashly and me the lowest scores of the evening.

The following week, for the fox-trot, I danced to the classic Frank Sinatra song “Fly Me to the Moon.” Wearing a tuxedo and a sparkling silver bow tie, I began the dance by saluting the American flag and ended it in front of an American flag, reminiscent of the one Neil and I planted on the Moon 41 years previously.

Once again, although our routine was a hit with the audience—they gave us a long, enthusiastic standing ovation—the judges were unimpressed. “The man on the Moon looks stuck on the fox-trot,” Bruno commented. “You look like you were avoiding craters,” he added.

Ashly and I performed the waltz to “What a Wonderful World.” For this dance, I was dressed in a striking military uniform, replete with my silver bow tie, attire to which I was accustomed. In the dancing story line and scenario, Ashly was supposed to be my daughter who was meeting me as I came home at the end of the war. To me, it was a story of patriotism and optimism about our future. At some point in the choreography, I was supposed to take off my hat and throw it. But in the excitement of the moment out on the dance floor with Ashly, I forgot to remove the hat. In the middle of the dance, I thought, Uh-oh, I still have the hat on. How can I get rid of the hat without messing up my motions? I kept the hat on all the way through the routine, but when one of the judges said something disparaging about my dancing talent, I took the hat off and threw it at him!

Naturally, some people said my performance was wooden and stiff, but the audience was wonderfully gracious, giving Ashly and me another prolonged standing ovation following our waltz. Ashly truly brought such grace to the dance, and I tried my best to reciprocate with charm.

Although I was the oldest person on the show at 80 years of age, the show staff didn’t excuse me from any rehearsals or rigorous practice sessions. At one point during rehearsals, I had an already scheduled space conference and speaking engagement in New Zealand. Dancing With the Stars sent Ashly along with me on the trip so we could continue practicing our dances, even though we were halfway around the world. Ashly was a trooper and never once complained about the long way to work. I filmed Ashly on my phone so I could review the steps she was teaching me, even at home.

For two weeks in a row, Ashly and I landed at the bottom of the leaderboard with the lowest scores of all the dancers. But we still received tremendous support from fans of the show. Nevertheless, we were the second couple voted out of the competition, and the fact that I was “second” once again did not go unnoticed by pundits. I didn’t mind. At least I was consistent! Besides, I’d been having the time of my life.

“I never thought I’d walk on the Moon, but I certainly never thought I’d dance on TV,” I told host Tom Bergeron on camera after learning that Ashly and I had been voted off the competition. “I did this show for the fighter pilots out there, the military people, and the elder geezers like me who would just like to see an elder come back week after week,” I added. I could feel a tear forming in my eye, so I hastily concluded my remarks, “It’s been a wonderful experience for me.”

For the season finale, although I had been eliminated, the producers asked Ashly and me to return and do a special dance along with other contestants and professionals who had been voted off the show. For our portion of the routine, the band played the Star Wars theme song. I was dressed in an aluminum-colored, “diamond”-studded spaceflight suit and shimmering silver cape and was surrounded by streams of green laser lights. I removed the cape and flipped it over to reveal a bright blue fabric, which I then wrapped around Ashly’s waist. Near the end of the number, I removed the wrap from Ashly and held it out in bullfighter fashion as she did one final swirling movement and slid gracefully onto the floor in front of me as I held the cape above her. It was great fun, and the audience loved it.

The competition was intense, and Nicole Scherzinger won the famed mirror ball trophy. Evan Lysacek earned second place on the show.

When people ask me why I did the show, I repeat the three reasons I mentioned to Bergeron: to inspire interest in the space program, to honor veterans, and with hopes of motivating some other “elder geezers” like me to see that life isn’t over just because we get a little older.

A FEW MONTHS LATER, I was performing in a cameo part for the movie Transformers 3 , directed by the talented Michael Bay. I ripped through my lines and hit all my spots, without breaking a sweat.

Sitting in an area behind the monitor, Bay was watching like a mesmerized little kid, with his face in his hands. Michael whispered to Christina, “Does Buzz ever get nervous?”

“Only on Dancing With the Stars ,” Christina answered.

I STILL DO A LITTLE DANCING once in a while. John Travolta helped me host a 2015 gala at the Kennedy Space Center for ShareSpace, my foundation dedicated to promoting science literacy among children. The moment John showed up, he automatically took the pressure off me and I knew I could relax. Not because I thought that he might not come, but because I knew that everybody would want to talk with John. He was a trooper and was glad to help lift the load off my shoulders.

Near the end of the gala, somebody suggested that we could boost the donations to ShareSpace if John Travolta and I got up and danced together. I was reluctant, but John insisted.

“Come on, Buzz. I’ll show you a couple of moves.”

John and I go way back, having first met on the set of the made-for-television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble , in which John starred and I had a bit part. The movie was hugely successful, garnering more than 45 million viewers. John is also a pilot, so we have aviation in common as well.